Two months on, transport mess plagues Mopa airport

Akansha Singh and her 2-year-old son had a dreadful wait at Mopa. Having just got off the flight from Delhi at the Manohar International Airport, she was dismayed to find no way out. Tagging along her luggage and a near cranky baby, in search of a vehicle, was getting super stressful, “There were no taxis available to take us from Mopa to Anjuna,” she says.

Several passengers have had similar woes. Kavya Jaiprakash from Bengaluru had hoped she would reach her hotel in Morjim sooner from Mopa, than if she had landed in Dabolim, but that did not happen. “We waited for three hours for a cab, then walked to the main entrance to find no taxis available. Thankfully, I had a local driver’s number from a previous visit, so I called him. We wasted more time travelling from Mopa to Morjim than flying from Bengaluru to Goa,” she shares.

The air traffic at the Mopa airport is steadily increasing since it first started operations on January 5, with direct flights to Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Jaipur, Nagpur, Chennai and other cities. However, the road transport from the airport seems dismal.





Four Taxi booths but few taxis

With more tourists landing at Mopa, there’s a constant scrunch for taxis going out of the airport. “We landed an hour ago and have tried almost everything to get a cab to drop us to Vagator. From enquiring at the taxi booths, which have no taxis, to downloading an app, which had a glitch in the system! We are running from pillar to post to find a taxi and it’s really exhausting,” says Raghuvendra who travelled to Goa on vacation with his wife.

Ironically, very few drivers want to go to Mopa, even though the airport is fully functional. A tour operator on condition of anonymity, tells us, “The airport is extremely deserted, the paid parking charges are high. We do get calls for pick-ups, but drivers hesitate to go there, as they may have to wait if the flights are delayed, which invariably leads to higher parking charges.”



No takers for high-end cars

While rent-a-cab is an option, most flyers are not looking at long term rentals; they just want someone to drop them off at their hotels. “Renting a cab for four days is expensive, it comes to about Rs18,000, plus petrol, which is at your expense. We have come to Goa to relax and not drive around,” says Raghvendra.

When posing as a tourist, the reporter was informed that only high-end cars were available. “The cars can be booked for a minimum of two days,” informed the salesperson at the counter. “Since most are high-end cars, tourists are hesitant to rent them,” says Nilesh Chauhan, a traveller.

Though the resorts provide pick-ups and drops to the airport, they are chargeable at higher rates, thus guests opt to arrange for their own. “We usually call the guests to enquire if they need a cab prior to their arrival or departure. The rates are usually on par with or a bit higher than other cab services, as we must maintain our upkeep and hygiene standards,” informs a representative from a starred resort.





Buses don’t go to specific locations

While the Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTCL) buses ply on specific routes, there are very few takers. Though small geographically, it can be confusing to figure out bus routes in Goa, especially if you’re new here and on holiday. “We have AC electric buses that ply to certain hubs – Calangute, Baga, Arpora, Mapusa, Panaji, Dabolim, Margao. Most tourists prefer going to certain locations only. Thus, people who want to go to Morjim, Anjuna, Vagator, must take the connecting bus from these hubs,” says a KTC bus conductor.



Network issues rampant

Finding cellular network around the airport can be a task. “It’s difficult to make calls. The details about the flight arrivals are already available, the travel agencies should know that there would be customers waiting to use their services. I’ve come to Goa often, but this is the first time that I have faced such a problem,” says Nilesh Chauhan.





BOX 1:

Logistics at the airport:

Airport began operations: January 5

Approximate air traffic: 40 departures; 30 arrivals

Transport available: GoaMiles taxis; Kadamba Transport Corporation Limited (KTCL) buses, rent-a-cab, prepaid taxis

Distance from the airport to private taxi stand: 500 mts



BOX 2

Cab details:

Weekdays: 100-110 cab trips
Weekends: 160-180 cab trips
Busiest time : 10 am to 12noon
Private pre-paid taxi operator fares (approximate):

Anjuna / Vagator - ₹ 1400(sedan)

₹ 1600 (6 seater)

Panaji.Miramar – 1600 (sedan)

₹ 2000 (6 seater)

Calangute/Candolim/Sinquerim/Baga- ₹ 1450 (sedan)

₹ 1750 (6-seater)

Margao / Colva - ₹ 3,000 (sedan)

₹ 3500 (6-seater)





KTCL EV busses available to main hubs

Bus fareMapusa-₹ 150Sinquerim /calangute - ₹ 200Panaji - ₹ 200Margao- ₹400Bus


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